Manufacturing/Knowledge Org's LO12376

Benjamin B. Compton (bcompton@geocities.com)
Wed, 05 Feb 1997 08:29:04 -0700

I have noted with great interest the number of people who post to this
list who either:

1) Are doing research of manufacturing organizations and the role of
organizational learning in that environment;

2) Work with manufacturing organizations, helping them work toward
becoming a learning organization.

What I don't understand is why there isn't more posting on the
relationship between organizational learning and knowledge work? This
question implies a distinction between a manfuacturing organization and a
knowledge-based organization, although I recognize that a manufacturing
organization does include knowledge work.

The reason I make a distinction is because I've seen how detrimental it is
for an organization, such as a Technical Support department, to treat the
work technical engineers do the same as a manufacturing facility.

In quality terms, work flows through the following process:

Suppliers --> Inputs --> Processes --> Outputs --> Customers

Normally feedback is provided by the customer, allowing an organization to
improve their processes; and feedback is provided by the organization to
the suppliers, making sure they get high quality "inputs."

It is easy to understand this model in a manufacturing environment. It is
not so clear in my organization. Who are our suppliers? And what do they
supply us with?

The input we need to do our job is "knowledge" plain and simple. Our
engineers must know all types of stuff, from the basics of computer
architecture to the details of wide-area connectivity. In many ways, its
almost like being a doctor, and understanding the human body. So how do
you supply engineers with knowledge? How do you ensure that the knowledge
they get is accurate? How do you build processes that allow everyone to
produce similar output when the output is dependent on the knowledge
possessed by the person doing the work? How can customers provide
meaningful feedback when they don't always understand the issues their
involved with, or whether the solution to a problem provided by one of our
engineers really solves the problem?

How do you measure performance in a knowledge-centered environment? How do
you define quality? Is quality the speed of service? Or is the accuracy of
the service? Or is it both? How do you measure the accuracy of the
service? We tend to measure speed because it is much more quanitifiable. .
.and quality, well, shit, that's just too hard to measure.

Our divisional quality manager led our operations department to ISO 9000
certification. She's now trying to lead Novell Technical Services to the
same place (and doing a damn good job of it). The one thing she keeps
saying -- which I was saying from the word go -- is that it's difficult to
understand how the standard applies to the work we do. We have processes,
but the efficiency with which people follow those processes is totally
dictated by their personal knowledge: The more they know, the faster they
go, and the more accurate their answers.

Consistent service? Only if everyone knows the same thing, can recall
information at the same rate, and can create new knowledge at the same
pace. None of this is very likely.

I would be very interested in talking to those who face similar issues. In
fact, I'm so frustrated with these issues that I'd be willing to fly to
wherever you are and spend some time exploring them.

Thanks,

Ben

-- 
Ben Compton
The Accidental Learning Group                  Work: (801) 222-6178
Improving Business through Science and Art     bcompton@geocities.com
http://www.e-ad.com/ben/BEN.HTM
 

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